Hans Landa loves a closeup

Why is this closeup so special?

Hans Landa also known as the Jew hunter was played by Christopher Waltz in the film Inglorious Basterds. This close-up is very special as the actor and director use very subtle details to show us who is the boss in the scene. It is the perfect example of showing instead of telling the audience. It is setup using dialogue and a slow push in. Here Hans Landa talks and behaves in a way that a gentleman does, making the character much scarier. This is because Hans Landa keeps on talking about his achievements working with the Nazis. There is a lot we can learn from this scene about how to setup an evil character in a film from the filmmakers involved. A lot of changes take place in just 9 seconds of a slow push in into Hans Landa’s face.

What does the closeup achieve? Is it symbolic?

In this close-up, Hans Landa is overflowing with dominance and we see no escape for Monsieur LaPedite. Just a simple switch from a smile to a straight face shows how confident and strong Hans Landa is. At this moment, Monsieur LaPedite’s strength shattered like glass and he gave away the location of the Jews that were Hidden in his home.

This shot is symbolic for many reasons. The first being the sheer brute force the Nazis are as they have people like Hans Landa on their side. It also represents the experience of Hans Landa as he manages to crack Monsieur LaPedite by carrying out the interview with coldness and dominance. It is also symbolic for pure evil as just when we think Monsieur LaPedite has finally gained control in his own home, a simple action from Hans Landa Takes it away from him.

Is there an emotional arc represented?

The emotional arc represented here is not of Hans Landa(as we know he is a cold Jew hunter, and he treats his job professionally) but of Monsieur LaPedite. At first Monsieur LaPedite is strong and confident as he is in his own home, but as Hans Landa speaks about his work and achievements working with the Nazi’s we can see how Monsieur LaPedite gets scared and has tears in his eyes. He was scared for his Three daughters and his life. The fear implanted inside him by Hans Landa caused him to give away the location of the Jew inside his home.

Aspect of the face is most effective in expressing emotion/internal state, character?

In the words of Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino “The eyes, chico. They never lie”. From a friendly and welcoming look to a deadly stare. The most effective aspect of Hans Landa were his eyes. The eyes were complemented by a small smile. This stare represented how prepared Hans Landa was to do the extreme.

Extra Note

The reason why the close-up is very effective is because of the juxtaposition of scared Monsieur LaPedite with the powerful Hans Landa.

The shots of Hans Landa are longer and gives us a feeling of no escape just as Monsieur LaPedite feels.